Sacramento zoo seeks yard waste to feed animals

SACRAMENTO -- California's Sacramento Zoo is urging homeowners to think of their tree trimmings and other yard waste as a potential meal for its animals.

Zoo officials have been placing door hangers in some neighborhoods asking for donations of clippings from trees and shrubs that various animals including giraffes and zebras find tasty.

The Sacramento Bee reported Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1wwLa3n ) that officials want to supplement the trimmings from trees on zoo property.

The list of desired plants includes many that are common in Sacramento, such as ash, bamboo and cottonwood.

The plants must not be treated with pesticide, and must be free of disease.

The zoo says orangutans and lemurs like to eat leaves fresh off a tree branch or shrub. Some animals, like red river hogs, also strip the bark, while others, like the chimpanzee, eat flowers as well as leaves.